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Publisher's Summary

For 12,000 years the Galactic Empire has ruled supreme. Now it is dying. But only Hari Sheldon, creator of the revolutionary science of psychohistory, can see into the future, to a dark age of ignorance, barbarism, and warfare that will last 30,000 years. To preserve knowledge and save mankind, Seldon gathers the best minds in the Empire, both scientists and scholars, and brings them to a bleak planet at the edge of the Galaxy to serve as a beacon of hope for a fututre generations. He calls his sanctuary the Foundation.

But soon the fledgling Foundation finds itself at the mercy of corrupt warlords rising in the wake of the receding Empire. Mankind's last best hope is faced with an agonizing choice: submit to the barbarians and be overrun or fight them and be destroyed.

Please note: The text of this book includes some passages that begin or end in mid-sentence. This is intentional by the author.

Listen to all of Isaac Asimov's Foundation series, including (in chronological order):

Asimov is superb, particularly when one considers that he started writing this series in the early 1950s. As a result it reads and sounds like the period. For all that, this is a great classic and Scott Brick is an excellent reader. The story and cast of characters is much more complex than the average novel. I found that a 2nd listen not only made everything clearer, but was even more enjoyable than the first.

A few reviewers comment on dropped sentences. It helps to have access to the printed version. Chapters are frequently introduced with excerpts of the fictitious Encyclopedia Galactica, and these excerpts are - in both the print and Audible version - often dropped mid-sentence. This is Asimov.

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I enjoyed listening to this. It was one of the first major works of SciFi that I ever read.

Any additional comments?

Why on earth did the word "psychohistory" (and all derivatives thereof) become "psychology?" Where in the book they talk about psychohistorians, they talk about psychologists in the audiobook. What happened? Did the word get globally replaced by a spellchecker in the final copy of the script?

I first read Asimov's original Foundation Triology Back in the early 60's. Later, as he added volumes to the Foundation series, I would grab up every Foundation book as they came out, ending with Foundation and Earth in 1986. I have always recommended Asimov to friends and acquaintances as a "classic" to be be read by all Sci-Fi fans.A few months ago, I noticed "Prelude to Foundation" when browsing through Audible to find my next "listen." I also decided to download the rest of the series so I could go through it all again in sequential order.Quite obviously, I had no doubt about Asimov as I've have been a reader of his for over 50 years now. I was quite impressed with the reader and also very impressed that he seems to be the reader for all books in the series so we gain the continuity of the presentation.I just cannot recommend the Foundation stories highly enough. Again, a classic and so very well performed by Scott Brick.One word of caution to readers/listeners to Asimove's style. There are times it seems, in all his writing that he begins to edge into a tangent of over description whether it be a personality, an event, or just a segment of the story. DO NOT let this cause dismay and do not allow yourself to drift, waiting for the dialog to pick up. It is all so important to end up with a genuine undersstanding of the story. All will come true to your expectations.I know this review is on the first book written (Foundation) but I cannot help but speak of the entire works. Asimov is timeless. The reader, superb. Do yourself a favor and commit to the entire works of Foundation. When you're done, you'll want to pursue the Robot books as well as the Empire books. Asimove wrote much and in the end you'll wish he wrote more.

I'm almost finished with the book and I have found no problems with the narration or editing. I can see what other people mean about it being a bit difficult to keep track of all the characters and figure out who is talking, but keep in mind (for those like myself who are new to the Foundation series) that the book moves from epoch to epoch, with each story having a manageable number of characters. I also agree that the narrator (Scott Brick) doesn't do the best job I've heard him do of distinguishing between characters, but it's really not bad.

On the content side, I'm a fan of many Star Wars books and a few others by authors like Kevin J Anderson and Timothy Zahn but had never read much of Asimov. I'm already hooked and looking forward to the rest of the books in this immense series.

Having heard so much about Asimov, I was expecting to thoroughly enjoy Foundation. Having finished the book, I wouldn’t say that I hated the book or even really disliked it so much as I simply wasn’t impressed. I don’t plan to listen to the rest of the series. Over and over again as I was listening, I thought that the book simply has not stood up to the test of time. It just felt dated and old, like watching a classic movie comedy that never makes you smile, even though you know that it was really funny back when it first came out.

The writing style was not very engaging to the modern reader. Two quick examples:

1) Almost zero character development. Foundation actually functions like 4 mini-books within the larger book and I never found myself caring for any of the characters. You are with each for a short amount of time and then you can forget about them entirely. The plot is the only thing that matters.

2) Very little action. I realize I’m from the Nintendo generation and that might mean my attention span is lacking. But seriously, can’t we get a chase scene or a fight or something? There was a military coup that we actually didn’t get to see and even a hostage situation on a hostile planet never got my blood racing.

The Narration

The narration was adequate but nothing about it made Scott Brick seem particularly noteworthy. Perhaps this is not the best book on which to to judge Brick since Foundation is such a marathon dialogue session. You won’t like the book any less because of Brick’s narration, but I suppose you won’t like it any more either.

The Verdict

If you enjoy science fiction and are interested in reading a classic work, by all means, dive right in. Also, if you are the kind of person that enjoys old things and are able to appreciate them for what they are without being distracted by the additional flaws that come with age, you might also enjoy Foundation. Otherwise, you are likely to be disappointed with this read.

This is a work of creative genius. The plot is intricate and compelling, breath-taking in its scope, and wildy imaginative. The characters aren't terribly well-developed, and the dialogue is sometimes cheesy, but that almost doesn't matter because my focus was drawn, again and again, to the "big picture". As soon as I think I've lost interest, Asimov drops a bombshell plot twist, and I'm back. Fantastic.

What made the experience of listening to Foundation the most enjoyable?

Fast plotting, lots of twists, and cool use of

How could the performance have been better?

For the first time in years I had to turn off the ipod and buy a hard copy of the book so I could finish this great story. The narrator, Scott Brick, voiced all the characters with such a snarky, arrogant persona that it highly distracted from the plot. Sometimes I couldn't even follow the dialog because I was wondering why two characters would be talking to each other in such condescending tones.<br/><br/>I can't understand why this guy is such a popular narrator. I won't buy another audible title if he's doing the reading!

1*=I didn't like it.....
2*=It was OK......
3*=It was good but I will never read it again..........
4*=Maybe I will read it again in the future..............
5*=I will definitely read it again(maybe more than once)

I was Six when I read it, the next day I committed to my first trip to local library.

Try to guess which book I was looking for?

I was looking for "Encyclopedia Galactica"Years have passed and I still have memories of Hari Seldon and Galactic Empire, the story of rise and fall of great civilization evolution and changes in human mind.The story of Foundation is a science fiction epic which deserves to be read or listened with new voice of Scott Brick

Foundation series was my favorite reading of childhood, I have read it many time. Just wanted to check if I would enjoy listening. Yes, it was fun to listen. But I feel that I would not understand some sophisticated details if I would not knew almost by heart what would be next, I believe that for the best result, this book should be read and listened to.

A brilliantly thought out book that was a pleasure to listen to. The story is ambitious in scale to say the least but Asimov is more than up to the task and creates a fascinating world in which to immerse the reader. The format is that of short stories encapsulated within the broader Galactic history. These stories drive the prophecy of Hari Sheldon with glacial inevitability - they are clever and the characters engaging and sharp in their depiction. I will definitely be finishing the trilogy. As always, Scott Brick does a great job of narrating this epic series.

9 of 9 people found this review helpful

David

Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, United Kingdom

1/31/11

Overall

"A great interpretation of Foundation"

Foundation is clearly one of the best science fiction books ever written. Any audiobook interpretation of a good story can be compromised both by choice of reader and the addition of background music or sound effects. I have listened to both versions of Foundation offered by Audible narrated by Scott Brick and Jim Gallant. The Scott Brick interpretation completely outclasses the Jim Gallant version. To be fair, Scott Brick has the advantage of working with the unabridged book and he does a wonderful job - his narration is clear and his phrasing is good whereas Jim Gallant had to work with an abridged version padded by long periods of awful music. Anyone listening to this version of Asomov's greatest stories will, I am sure, not be disappointed.

16 of 17 people found this review helpful

mark

Bristol, United Kingdom

7/14/13

Overall

Performance

Story

"A classic from a different age"

Foundation is from a different age and it it feels it.It is no doubt a true classic and it is vasty influential, but I did find it difficult to like.One of the problems is that the story is all about the idea of a 1000 year plan to save civilisation, there are characters in the story, but they are difficult to tell apart.This is a basic problem with the story and nothing to do with the performance of the work, Scott Brick does a good job with material, but it is difficult to make such a work, interesting .The attitude towards technology and notably women also feels very dated.Having said all of this, I probably will try the next book in the series, since this was written as a single story, rather than as a series of linked short stories maybe that will work better?

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Anthony

MILTON KEYNES, United Kingdom

7/8/13

Overall

Performance

Story

"I wasn't sure when I chose it...."

Where does Foundation rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Foundation is one of the best audiobooks I have purchased, its right at the top of the pile.

What did you like best about this story?

I have always been a fan of sci fi but I really enjoyed the low fantasy element. This led to a more plot and character driven story.

What about Scott Brick’s performance did you like?

I wasn't sure about Scott Brick to start with although after a while I found his performance to be pleasant and clear.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I think its a lot of story to listen to in one go and found it better to break the story into parts to let me think about the plot.

Any additional comments?

Great book.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

J. D. Burnell

1/26/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"I know this is heresy but..."

Any additional comments?

...this really got boring very fast. I know that Foundation appears on everyone's list of must-read sci-fi, and usually near the top, and I can sort of see why, in that it set the gold standard for so much grand-scale Space Opera in the way The Lord Of The Rings did for high fantasy.<br/><br/>However, the years have not been kind...<br/><br/>Honestly, it might as well be a collection of meeting minutes - every chapter consists solely of long conversations between barely-distinguished or developed characters in which the progress of the story since the last chapter is discussed in laboured exposition. The characters might raise their voices or storm out once in a while but that's the limit of the action.<br/><br/>This isn't helped by Scott Brick's narration which does little to differentiate between the individual voices in the story, to the extent that it's sometimes difficult to work out who is speaking. I've heard Brick narrating other books, and doing it very well, but this one wasn't for him.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

the drumer

Sussex. UKK

6/24/13

Overall

Performance

Story

"asimov at his best"

What made the experience of listening to Foundation the most enjoyable?

For me the narrator seemed just to fit the part and his voice (Unlike many others) did not intrude into the story line

What was one of the most memorable moments of Foundation?

Just griping from start to finish

Have you listened to any of Scott Brick’s other performances? How does this one compare?

Not yet

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

This question seemes to paraphrase the question before last "What was one of the most memorable moments of Foundation"? so I refer to that answer

Any additional comments?

Asimovs depth of story line and characters have such relevance and a great understanding of our own society. The Foundation Trilogy could be said to almost explain some of the theories of Karl Marxy. Any one who reads the Foundation should without doubt get the rest of the Trilogy

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Matt Carter

Hastings, East Sussex United Kingdom

9/29/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"Hugely frustrating, for such an epic book"

I love this book. I read it as a child. So every glitch in the story telling is so frustrating! Scott Brick is great. His performance is brilliant. The characterization is gently and well delivered. So what is the problem? Edit faults? Glitches? Splicing errors? I don't know what they are but they are there. The first is at 58 seconds. The second at 1:24. Third at 1:41 and I stopped counting at chapter 5, 45 seconds in. If you can not let that effect your enjoyment, this will be a great listen.

4 of 5 people found this review helpful

Donald

Braintree, United Kingdom

8/6/13

Overall

Performance

Story

"A Classic Written By A Genius"

What made the experience of listening to Foundation the most enjoyable?

I've read and re-read the Fountain books 'til the spines broke. As an introduction to Sci-Fi it still stands as a great epic. I love the thought processes of the characters, the ideas and plot twists.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Foundation?

When the true purpose of the Foundation is revealed and the extent Harry Seldon has planned becomes apparent.

What about Scott Brick’s performance did you like?

I thought Scott Brick did very well in coping with a multitude of characters and did not let it become 'pantomime' in any way.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Every time there is a triumph of reason and thought over aggression and bullying - a point that is laboured throughout the Foundation Saga but still gets me every time.

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

Mr SA Lambe

7/5/13

Overall

Performance

Story

"A strange experience"

Is there anything you would change about this book?

It is what it is!

Would you ever listen to anything by Isaac Asimov again?

Yes, of course

Which character – as performed by Scott Brick – was your favourite?

There aren't any characters - that's one of the problems with the book. But probably Hardin.

If this book were a film would you go see it?

Yes

Any additional comments?

This was a strange experience. I remember loving this as a teenager, but this comes across rather poorly now. It's not the outmoded attitude towards technology - Asimov can't be blamed for that. It's just the stories. They are pretty dry - it's all very talk driven. Most of the characters are interchangeable, and there's barely a woman in the entire book.<br/><br/>It's funny how attitudes change. That said, I'll still probably listen to the next one at some point. But not now - I need something with more dynamics!<br/><br/>Oh, Scott Brick does a very decent job - particularly as the text is 80% dialogue!

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

Joseph Kelly

Kildare, Ireland

8/2/17

Overall

Performance

Story

"First time listening to a book read long ago"

Very interesting to listen to a book I read 40 years ago. Took a while to get into it but got there :-)

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

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